Automatic sluiceway-gate



(No Model.) 3 sheetsshed 2^.

. am-AIMER. Automatic Sluioeway Gate. l No. 241,444. Patented May 10,1881.

NV PETERS. Phew-Lithugmpher. Washngarl, D. C.

(No Model.)

Jl Bl TAINTER. SSheets-Sheet Automatic Sluis-away Gate.

Patented IVIay 10,1881.

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N. PETERS. Photo-Lthogmpher. Washington. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JEREMIAH B. TAINTER, OF MENOMONEE, WISCONSIN.

AUTOMATiC SLUICEWAY-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 241,444, dated May 10, 1881. l Application tiled September 27, 18H0. (No model.)

To all whom. t may concern:

Be it known that I, J EREMIAH BURNHEM TMNT-ER, of Menomonee, in the conn ty of Dunn and State of Wisconsin, have made certain Improvements in Automatic Sluiceway-Gates, ot' which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the sl uiceway-gates i of mill-dams, 85e., and it consists in hing-ing to the lower edge of the gate a float or apron provided with suitable raising and lowering mechanism, whereby the ioat may be forced downupon afulcrum extending across the floor of the sluicewaya short distance back from the leveling-plank, to raise the gate a few inches to admit the water underneath it, to act upon the oat and raise the gate from that point by the action of the water passing underneath it, as hereinafter set forth. L

The invention further consists in forming a truss-shaped frame-workin the rear of the main gudgeon timber or shaft, to support it and prevent its springing, as well as to dispense with the necessity of cross-bracing, as hereinafter set forth.

The invention further consists in forming the gate ways or fa-cings of hollow angular metal strips, whereby a space is left between them and the sides of the sluieeway, into which hot water, steam, or other agent may be introduced to remove frost in winter, as hereinafter set forth.

The invention further consists in the application of artificial heat to the interior of the gate, to preventthe formation of ice, as hereinafter set forth.

` 1 The invention further consists in combining,

with the gate, covers `for the front, rear, and top of the gate, whereby it may be protected fromthe weather, frost, Src., as hereinafter set forth.

attached to the front of the gate, wherebyiit may be held at any desired point, as hereinafter Y set forth..

I obtain these results by the useV of the mech- The invention further consists inI a brake a variation in the manner of forming the trusstimbers. Fig. 3 is a plan view. Fig. 4. is a longitudinal sectional elevation with the gate raised 5 Fig. 5, a reduced detail view of the gate, apron, and fulcruin, illustrating the manner of admitting the water beneath it.

A is the cribbin g or timber-work ofthe sluicethe planking c, forming the face of the gate, is

bolted. These segments b extend upward some distance above the upper arms, a', and are each provided with two braces, d d, running backward and downward upon either side of the arms a afl a3, and are spiked or bolted thereto. as shown.

It will be observed that the center arms, a2, are nearer the lower arms, a3,than to the upper arms, a', and that the braces d d are lighter than the arms a. This is because the greater amount of` strain and pressure comes upon the lower part of the gate; hence the heaviest brac ing and support is required for the lower part.

A short distance from the rear of the shaft B is a stationary timber, G, with its ends dove tailed into the sides of the sluiceway A, and at equal distances back from this timber Vare two similar timbers, D E.

Along the rst timber, C, are uprights e c, with semicircular notches cnt in their faces opposite the shaft B, and adapted to lit upon circular portions e of the shaft, and thus form a number of bearings along the shaft, to preventits springing. i

g g2 g3 g4. area series of braces connecting the timbers G l) E to each other, and thus forming a truss, to support the timberA C and prevent its springing when the pressure is broughtrto bear upon the gate. By this means the gate is firmly supported across. its

whole width, so that no crossbracing is re IDO are secured, to prevent the upward spring of the timber C.

All the timbers, (l D E F,\vill be dovetailed or otherwise secured in the sides of the sluiceway, and thus act as tie-beams.

Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the shaft B, and portions of the arms a a2 a3 detached, showing a variation in the manner ofarranging the truss forward of the shaft B; but in either, the means used and the result obtained are substantially the same.

Secured to the sides of the sluiceway, in a curve corresponding to the ends of tbegplank ing c, are hollow angular metal strips i, forming facings, against which rubber or other suity able strips, 7c, upon the edge of the gate, are

- are arms J, extending forward and pivoted to aframe, K, arranged to slide back and forth on the center arms,'a2.

' Journaled in therearpartof the gate-frame'is a windlass, m, with a rope or chain,a!, ruiming from its lower part to the rear of the frame K, andd with another rope or chain, n2, running from its upper part forward and over a pulley, a3, secured to the gate, and backward to the front of the frame K, so that by turning the windlass to the left the frame K will be drawn backward, and,carrying the armsJ with it, will force the levers I backward and upward, and thus elevate the rear end of theapron H, and cause it to-assurne the position shown in Fig. l; or by turning the windlass m to the right the frame K will be drawn forward and the apron H depressed, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Running across the bottom ofthe sluiceway, a short distance back from the leveling-plank A', is a projection, M, upon which the apron H will strike when forced downward by the levers I, and thus act as a fulcrum to raise the gate a short distance, as shown in Fig. 5, its

. object to be hereinafter explained.

sluiceway is a bar, N, sliding in guides N3,

Across the upper part of the deck of the connected by ropes or chains N to a windlass, P, above -the rear timber-work, F, to form a brake, which maybe drawn 11p-against the gate r to hold it in any desired position.

Strips N2 will be attached to the face ofthe gate, upon whichthe rubber or leathershoes fr will act to secure the requisite friction.

yWhen it is desired to open the gate the windlass m will be turned to the right, and the apron H forced down upon the fulcrum M, and the gate raiseda short distance, as shown in Fig. 5; This will admit the water beneath the gate,

Iand the apron H, acting as a float, the pressure of the water will raise it upward and carry the gate .with it, and thus raise the latter withoutthe use of any other power.

When the gate is to be lowered it is only necessary to raise the apron H by turning the windlass m to the left, when the gate will sink back into place.

By adjusting the apron H higher or lower the gate may be poised at any desired point, the angle of the apron perfectly controlling the buoyancy of the gate. This is a very important feature of my invention, as the largest gates may be handled with the expenditure of a small amount of force, one man only being required to open and close the largest gate.

Should it be necessary to run logs, Ste., through the gate, the gate is allowed to rise to its full height, and set at thatxpoint by the brake N. The oat H is thenr raised, and the water, which has been held back somewhat by the iioat, will resume its level, and thus leave spaceenough beneath the gate and apron for the passage of` logs, Src.

To raise the gate higher thanthe water will raise it, the brake-bar N is removed land placed against the gate above the guides N3,.and the windlass P set up. This will cause the brake to raise the gate upward (the line of the draft ofthe cords N being above the shaft B) as far as may be required, or untiltlie arms a strike the tie-beam F.

The gate may be allowed to fall at any speed by means of the brake N.

To remove the gate from .the cribbing it is elevated until the lower edge of the face c is above the line `of the cribbing A, the bolts or rods connecting it to the float or apron H removed and the latter taken out, which leaves only the lower parts of the arms a a2 ct'and the shaft B between the walls of the gate.

IOO

It will be seen that the rear ends of the bearings to the gudgeons of the shaft B are cut away in curved slots t, and ,that the outside sets of arms a a2 a3 are some distance from the ends of the shaft, so that when the apron is removed and the face a elevated above the cribbing A, as above described, the whole gate may be swung around until the gudgeons are out of the slots tand then lifted out.

Great annoyance is experienced in cold weather by the freezing of the-water around `the gate, rendering it necessary to cut the ice away; butthis is a slow tediousprocess and .liable to injure the gate. To obviate this difficulty I provide a roof, R', for the top of the gate, so arranged as to rise and fall with it and not interfere with its action, .and hinge to -the rear a cover, R2, adaptedl to be raised up out of the way when the gate is being used.

Inside the gate I suspend a stove, T, by rods T', so that it willalways remain level, no matter in what position the gate ymay be, iwhereby artificial heat may be generated to prevent the formation of ice.

ySteam or hot air may besubstitutedfforthe stove, if desired.

. Across the front of the sluiceway a cover, R3, will be placed in winter, with its lower edge TIO IIS

thus form a natural packing, to prevent the formation of ice beneath the deck.

The covers R2 R3 will only be used in winter;

Y but the roof R will'be a permanent attachment, to protect the gate from the weather.

A man-hole or hatch will be left in the roof R', toprovide access to theinteriorof the gate.

Slots or mortises will be cut in the bottom of the forward edge of the sluicewayand the lower forward edge of the deck-timbers for uprightpieces to be set in, upon which plank may be laid upto form a dam when it is necessary to repair the gate.

A foot-board, u, will be hinged to the roof R','and suspended by one end loosely upon a ,y hanger, u', beneath the tie-beam F, to form a g so L... Y 4o' level standing-place t'or the attendant when irstoperating the windlass m.

4'The hand-wheels to 'the windlasses m P will be removable, so that when the gate is set at any desired point the hand-wheels may be removed to prevent the gate being tampered with.

A system ot' levers and cords may be substituted for the windlass l?, itl desired, and any other suitable mechanism used in place of the toggle-levers I J, to operate the apron H.

The apron H may be made straight instead of curved, as shown, or in any other suitable form, and may be applied to straight instead of segmental gates.

WhatI claim as new ist l. In combination lWith a sluiceway-gate, an apron, H, attached adj usta'bly the1eto,whereby the force of the water is utilized to raise thev gate, substantially as set forth.

' 2. The combination and arrangement, with a sluioeway-gate havin gaiioat,H,hin ged thereto, of a fulcrum, M, whereby the gate may be elevated slightly to admit water beneath it, substantiall y as set i'orth.

3. The combination and arrangement, with a sluicewaygate having the Afloat H hinged thereto, of the levers I I J and windlass m, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with a sluiceway-gate having the shaft B, and arms a a2 a3, of the truss-shaped timbers and braces C D E F g g2 g3 g4, substantially as set forth.

5. A sluiceway-gate having the facings i, ot' hollow metallic strips open at top and bottom, to receive hot water, steam, alcohol, etc., to remove frost, substantially as set forth.

`6. The combination and arrangement, with a sluiceway-gate, of a brake, N, substantially as set forth.l

7. The combination, with the gudgeon-tim'- ber B, of the open slotted bearings t, whereby the gate may be removed, substantially as set forth.

S. The combination, with a sluiceway-gate,A

ot' a stove, T, or other means of producing artiticial heat, so suspended therein as to retain its equilibrium at all points of elevation oi' the gate, substantially as set forth.

9; The combination and arrangement of the shaft' B, arms a a2 d3, face c, and removable roof R', substantially as set forth.

l0. The combination and arrangement, with the shaft B, arms a a2 'ct3, fa'ce c, and roof R', of the adjustable front and rear covers, R2 R3, substantially as set forth.

1l. The combination and arrangementof the gudgeontimber B, arms c a2 a3, segmentsb, planlring c, and Ybraces d d, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JEREMIAH BURNHAM TAINTER.

Witnesses:

C; N. WooDwARD, LoUIs Fansite. 

